Plea for roundabout on A19 accident blackspot

Plea for roundabout on Riccall A19 accident blackspot

A FORMER councillor has repeated warnings over an accident blackspot on the main road between York and Selby.

John Duggan, a former Riccall Parish Councillor, said the most recent accident on the A19 close to Riccall - which saw two people hospitalised in January - "should never have happened".

He said a pledge by the county council to spend £850,000 on a roundabout on the A19 to help prevent traffic problems and crashes was made more than a decade ago, but the funds were later reallocated.

Mr Duggan said: "£850,000 was put aside for that roundabout. Part of the money was taken out to put an island in at the York end of the village. I was told the money was coming from the budget, and it would be built.

"The road is a lot busier than it was then, and accidents show people are trying to get out there but can't. It's quite common between Selby and York, the morning rush hour is car after car in both directions and you have to wait sometimes more than five minutes before you can get space and get out, it's such a busy road.

The safety scheme was approved by North Yorkshire County Council in April 2006, and the roundabout was scheduled to be built in 2007/2008. However, the scheme was later axed after officials claimed there had been a "major improvement in road safety" at the site.

Barrie Mason, assistant director of Highways at North Yorkshire County Council, said the proposed roundabout was no longer considered necessary.

He said: "There was a proposed scheme for a roundabout on the A19 at Riccall, however this was removed from the programme as the safety record at the site had improved considerably.

"The council monitors and reviews road casualties across the county and works with a range of partners as part of the 95 Alive York and North Yorkshire Road Safety Partnership to continue to reduce casualties on the roads of North Yorkshire."

Mr Duggan said: "There have been no accidents where two roundabouts are now but there have been accidents in Riccall, which is a growing village and feels neglected."

This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's Editors' Code of Practice. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then please contact the editor here. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can contact IPSO here